Sure you heard the news... one gloomy forecast after another.  After awhile you may actually have begun to believe it.  But what they are not telling you, is that sales are being made.  Buyers out there are not alone. And some of the best buys in years are being made.  Shhhhh  someone might hear us. If you are waiting it out- you will miss the boat again.  There are few times when deals come along. Those who get first wind get the best ones. Prices went sky high...and then....  down the prices came much like an elephant without a parachute.    There are however some soft landings.  A local builder has recently taken a proactive launch against rising costs on new homes. He has pulled the plug on inflation. In an unprecedented move he has lowered prices on his Inventory Homes in Deer Cree... 04/29/2008

Have you, like many others been wondering when the market will improve?  Asking yourself "have we hit rock bottom?"  Been waiting and wondering how low will prices go before you "start looking".   From leading indicators, the market has begun to improve.  First reported in Lee County, there is a new sign of life in Florida Real Estate.The roller coaster ride is gaining some momentum According to the National Association of Realtors, sales in March 08 were up 10% over the previous month. Over 9,000 homes sold.   The median price is just over $205,000 in Florida.  BUYERS CAN HAVE THEIR CAKE & EAT IT TOO!Flavorable mortgage rate are a tasty treat for qualified buyers.Fannie May and Freddie Mac are considering higher debt to income ratios (may be increased to 50-55%) which would assist grea... 04/22/2008

The much anticipated economic stimlus plan offers indebited Americans the opportunity to engage in positive economic reinforcement.  Many are confused about the guidelines and payout of the incentive. Checks will be dispursed based on income, and paid out by the last two digits of your social security number. Click here to see when your check will be in the mail. The exorbinate cost of gas has forced average wage earners to make drastic cut backs in ordinary expenses such as food.  Compounded with the uncontrolled interest rates on credit card debt-Americans overall, are simply drowning.  Wages have not increased for most in the past twelve months; yet the cost of living has.The thought they (American consumers) will rush out to buy that new flat screen TV, or other such luxury is not o... 04/22/2008

Esprit is located south of Rte 192 past Stevens Plantation in the St Cloud real estate market.  There have been 3 single family houses sold in the 1st quarter of 2008.  They range in price from $234,699 to $295,718 with $254,027 being the average.  The square footage ranges from 2,206 to 3,189 and the houses lasted an average of 95 days on the market before they closed. There are presently 4 houses that are pending closing with an asking price range from $220,000 to $359,144 with $307,229 being the average and 2 of them having pools.  These houses range in size from 2,747 to 3,577 square feet.  The average time on the market is currently 85 days.  Remember these properties have not closed yet so the average time to close will rise.There are a total of 11 houses on the market ranging in ... 04/21/2008

 We are mere specs in the microcosm of the world.  While Real Estate is local, our plight is global. How aware are we Americans of the World's view of our "Local" economic condition?  Our housing market reports are the "ping" heard around the world, literally.  We cannot hide, shield, obsure, or ignore the fact that the American Housing Market is not good at the present time.  However, it does not seem to be thwarting interest from abroad as to what our market is doing.  As the Brittish Sterling, Euro, & Yen gain in strength against our weakened economy foreign investors are watching carefully what is happening here.American's may be feeling the pain of the economic slowdown, increase in job losses, and rising costs of fuel and food...but we have been for the most part shielded from the... 04/21/2008

Deer Creek is located in St Cloud off of Canoe Creek Rd.  There have been 1 single family house sold in the 1st quarter of 2008.  It sold for $185,000 and it was 1,460 square feet. It took 91 days before it sold.There are presently 5 houses that are pending closing with asking prices from $183,900 to $275,000 with an average of $219,380.  The houses range in size from 2,110 square feet to 2,536 square feet.  The houses have been on the market for an average of 64 days.  Remember these properties have not closed yet so the average time to close will rise.There are a total of 25 houses on the market ranging in size from 1,571 to 2,644 square feet with asking prices ranging form $159,900 to $291,000.  Of these 25 single family dwellings available, 17 are priced at $250,000 or lower.Conside... 04/18/2008

There is a big difference between wanting to sell your home, and needing to sell your home. The primary difference is time.  By the time you realize you NEED to sell your home, it is a bit too late.  You may have been chronically late on making payments. Perhaps it was an unexpected event such as emergency medical care, it could be the result of having lost your job. Or just the demands of higher gas prices, an increase in property taxes, home insurance or change of of circumstance caused you to fall behind.   Add to that, the mounting pressure from credit card companies hyper inflated interest rates on credit card debt and before you know it, the endless stream of collection calls begin.  The Average American wes more than $10,000 in credit card debt.Encouraged by utility companies, te... 04/18/2008

Canoe Creek Woods is located in St Cloud off of Canoe Creek Rd.  There has been 1 single family house sold in the 1st quarter of 2008.  It sold for $206,000 and it had a pool.  The square footage was 1,610 and the house lasted 185 days on the market before it sold.There is presently 1 house that is pending closing at this time. It is 1,733 square feet and the asking price is $194,500.  It has been on the market for 318 days. There are a total of 19 houses on the market ranging in size from 1,228 to 2,382 square feet with asking prices ranging form $141,500 to $324,500.  Of these 19 single family dwellings available, 14 are priced at $225,000 or lower.Considering the amount of houses sold in the 1st quarter of 2008, the saturation rate, (the amount of time it will take to sell all of the... 04/15/2008

Canoe Creek Lakes is located in St Cloud off of Canoe Creek Rd.  There have been 3 single family houses sold in the 1st quarter of 2008.  They range in price from $177,000 to $239,000 with $215,333 being the average and 1 of them having a pool.  The square footage ranges from 1,633 to 2,343 and the houses lasted an average of 52 days on the market before they sold.There is presently 1 house that is pending closing at this time.  It is 2,150 square feet and the asking price is $249,900.  It has been on the market for 86 days.There are a total of 31 houses on the market ranging in size from 1,213 to 2,256 square feet with asking prices ranging form $134,999 to $271,500.  Of these 31 single family dwellings available, 27 are priced under $250,000.Considering the amount of houses sold in th... 04/15/2008

The world is comprised primarily of three types of people.  There are the Shakers and Movers in one category. These are the people Who Makes Things Happen.  They are ambitious, determined, and driven.  They are always seeking out new ways to improve their work ethic and are highly success oriented.  They are self motivated. They are calculated risk takers. The Observers are pacifists.  They wait and watch while the shakers and movers experiment to see what will work and what will not.  Could it be they have a fear of failure?  Perhaps.  They are not risk takers usually.  They will tow the line however and are very good at following directions.The third group are the Others that Wonder what has happened.  They are the trend followers. Often late to the party, they are following the lines... 04/12/2008

There are voiceless victims in the foreclosure mess.  Household pets.  When families are displaced, often they have pets as well which need to be re-homed.  More and more animals are facing displacement. Scanning Craigslist in the pet section gives one a very good sense of what is happening and how it is impacting the economy overall.  As banks began to show their "true colors", many homeowners were unable to camoflage the fact they were unable to keep up with the increases.Faced with difficult decisions , not only could they not afford their adjusted mortgage rates, increases in homeowners insurance, rising gas and food prices, often they could not longer care for their beloved family pets.It is not just dogs and cats. It is birds, fish, and reptiles and yes even snakes which are all s... 04/09/2008

601 Ohio Ave.  Saint Cloud, Florida  34769 HISTORIC HOME IN DOWNTOWN SAINT CLOUD. CORNER LOT JUST A FEW BLOCKS FROM THE LAKE FRONT BEACH ON EAST LAKE TOHOPEKALIGA.WOOD FLOORS AND A WOOD BURNING FIREPLACE.THIS HOME IS CHARMING AND QUAINT. ALL OFFER ARE SUBJECT TO THIRD PART APPROVAL. 1,220 SQUARE FEET  BUILT IN 1930 $125,000                                     MLS# S4634473         FOR VIEWING APPOINTMENTS CALL MARK HORAN "THE RESIDENT CHEF"  407-301-0312VIST ME ON THE WEB @ WWW.RESIDENTTEAM.COM   04/07/2008

Bay Lake Ranch is located in eastern portion of St Cloud.  There has been no single family houses sold in the 1st quarter of 2008.  There was 1 house sold for the 1st quarter of 2008.  It sold for $285,000 and it was 2,440 square feet and it had a pool.  It took 25 days to sell.There is presently 1 house that is pending closing.  It is listed at $282,500 and it is 2,916 square feet.  It has been on the market for 21 days.There are a total of 28 houses on the market ranging in size from 1,200 to 6,300 square feet with asking prices ranging form $249,000 to $1,900,000.  Of these 28 single family dwellings available, 19 are priced $400,000 or lower.Considering the amount of houses sold in the 1st quarter of 2008, the saturation rate, (the amount of time it will take to sell all of the hous... 04/06/2008

You see them everywhere. On every street in every city and small town. "Going Out of Business" signs.  At at alarming rate, they are springing up like fire ant hills. Venomously biting into the American Dream.  The housing market is having a ripple effect across America.Business feeling it first, were construction related industries.  First it was a shortage of materials.  The Hurricanes Florida experienced in a rare anomally one hundred year storm pattern caused a shortage of roofing shingles, plywood, concrete, screening and most of all labor.Once the state had been re-roofed, most homeowners saw little reduction in the skyrocketing cost of materials and labor.A roofing estimate prior to the hurricanes averaged $5,000. After the hurricanes the same job costs $15,000.Prior to the "Buil... 04/02/2008

What Happened In St. Cloud?  In 2004 when Florida was hit by the three major hurricanes Charlie, Francis and Jeanne- there were a limited number of older homes in St. Cloud. Beginning in 2005-2006 there were fewer homes available for sale (1200)  which triggered a "seller's market"  causing  hyper inflation for buyers in that time period. In essence a bidding war since there fewer houses than there were buyers. (For 33 years the historic appreciated value of a home was 6% annual return.) During this period housing priced doubled and even tripled. Well out of the normal range of appreciation. A giant spike.   The major builders were attracted to the "fastest growing county in Florida" as was reported in the media which resulted in a frenzied "building boom" of the farmlands and agricultu... 03/29/2008

We were all inspired by Kevin Cosner in The Field Of Dreams.  "If You build it-he will come" was orginially written from the book Shoeless Joe (1982) by William P. Kinsella.  We have seen a lot of building  since then.  The field of dreams has withered on the vine somewhat as the housing market has hit a drought.                                                                                                                                                                              However, in some small towns there has been heated debate regarding work force housing.  St. Cloud, Florida had a Million seven hundred eight eight thousand (dollar) reasons to want to build Work Force Housing.  All they really needed to do was look around.   New developments which the City Council approved ... 03/27/2008

Interesting question to ponder.  Too often we get so busy with managing our businesses that perhaps we don't allow enought time to properly care for our own personal homes.  Has this ever happened to you? The projects you have put off until you had more, had more money, or just had more ambition?  Is the way your home looks affecting your business or adversely affecting your business?  Should we lead by example or procrastination?  When working with buyers do they wonder what our house looks like?  IS our house/home a reflection of who we are or what we are not?Successful people live in very different ways. The riches man, may not have the biggest house depending on how much he likes to travel for example.  Or his lack of need to display his wealth.Conversely, the average person may be ... 03/24/2008

In 2005 Writing the words "contingent upon the sale of exisiting property" was the norm.  It was a hot market, and houses were selling nearly as fast as we could list them.  We weren't "sales people" nearly as much during that time as we were order takers.   We witnessed housing history being made.Unimaginable prices were being achieved.Houses came on and went off the market in record time.Banks threw money at prospects by the boatload.For everyone there was a home and for every home there was a mortgage product available.No money down!  No prinicipal payment required!  No credit no problem!   BIG PROBLEMSAnytime you hear "No Problem", the hair on the back of your neck should stand on end.  This was a predictable mess.  People borrowed much more than they could ever afford to repay.  Th... 03/22/2008

"It was in the mid 50's on Thrusday, Friday we got another 9" of snow"-This email came from a Frustrated buyer waiting for the weather to clear to come to sunny Florida.  It almost makes me feel guilty I was wearing short sleeves. Almost.  We just installed the pool, and I dare not tell that to my snow bound customers. Winter has been relentless this year.  In the midwest, they have achieved record number of snowfalls. In Florida when it is 70 degrees, we grab a sweater.   A winter scene can be beautiful. Floridians forget how difficult it becomes just to do basic things with a sheet of ice covering the sidewalks and streets. Winter.  There is nothing romantic about it.   The biggest adjustment people have to make when considering living in Florida is the cost of living may not be less ... 03/22/2008

 Pools, You either love them or hate them.  As temperatures rise, Floridans seek refuge from the rentlentless heat and humidity. The Popularity of Above Ground Pools appears to be on the increase.As the economy tightens, more people are seeking economical ways to enjoy cooling off. As a result above ground pools are making a splash in more and more back yards."Above Ground pools outsell in-ground pools 2:1" said a pool installer for a major pool supply company. "We work nearly 100 hour a week in the summer months- installing above ground pools seven days a week."The main reason.... money.  The cost of an in-ground pool has doubled in the past ten years. On average a consumer will spend $22,000-$30,000 installing an in-ground pool.Most people are reluctant to spend that much in a tight e... 03/21/2008